Hi! So I started fasting on December 1st, but have only actually fasted without snacking twice in the week it’s been. I’m feeling really down and disappointed in myself because of it. Some people say to just drink more water, but that never helps me personally.
I’ve found that adding what ever I was craving as a snack into my next meal helps. My kids were eating chips the other night and I really wanted some, so I made sure to have some the next day at lunch. I’ve also had all kinds of strange things at lunch as I find it’s not that I’m actually hungry while fasting but I miss snack foods on occasion.
I dunno if this will be frowned upon, but I eat celery. It’s 95% water anyways and only around 1% digestible carbs. Ergo, if you eat a whole pound of celery, that like 5g carbs. You get more calories from breathing the air next to a bakery.
I used to a big evening-nighttime-middle of the night snacker. IF has stopped it. Amazing. I finish eating, relax, take my dog for a walk, go to a warm yoga classes or watch tv. Can’t really believe it.
Personally, drinking tea and chewing gum are my go to; also lemon water sometimes. If all fails, forcing me to drink a large amount of water kinda helps.
That’s the advice for within fasting window, but what truly makes a difference is what you eat within your eating window. More protein usually means less or no hunger. I also eat zero refined/white carbs. Any carb I eat is a whole food with tons of fiber and nutrients in it. If you stick to eating nutritious whole foods, it’ll help a ton to not have urge to eat when fasting. It does take a few days for the body to make the switch if you eat too much refined carbs regularly, though.